One piece aerosol spray head



Jan. 29, 1963 R. c. COOPRIDER 3,075,708

ONE PIECE AEROSOL SPRAY HEAD Filed March 5, 195a INVENTOR United States Patent 3,675,798 GNE PIECE AEROSQL SPRAY HEAD Rex C. *Cooprider, Bowney, Caiifi, assignor to The Draclrett (I'ornpany, Cincinnati, Ghio, a corporation of @hio Filed Mar. 5, i958, Ser. No. 719,427 1 filaim. (Ci. 239-49ll) This invention relates to an extremely simplified and economically produced spray head for liquids and to the novel combination of such a spray head with a fiuid discharge tube.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a spray head which is so simplified in design that it may be completely formed as an integral ready-to-use unit by a single molding or casting operation, with consequent savings in manufacturing cost.

In addition, it is an important object of the invention to provide a spray head which may be quickly and easily assembled to its cooperating fluid discharge tube without regard to its rotational position on the tube and which, when so assembled, cooperates with the exterior surface of the tube so define a delivery passage from the end of the tube rearwardly to a generally radial discharge orifice in the spray head.

It is a further object to provide such a spray head in which the above mentioned delivery passage may readily be formed to include a swirl chamber and its associated tangential inlet or inlets, all properly correlated with the spray discharge orifice.

For obtaining these objectives the spray head is formed of plastic or other suitable moldable material and has a blind cylindrical bore or socket adapted to snugly receive and form a press fit with the end of a cylindrical fluid discharge tube. A spray discharge orifice opens through the head generally radially to the bore and the inner surface of the bore is indented to coact with the exterior cylindrical surface of the tube in defining a fluid delivery passage from the open end of the tube bacl: exteriorly of the tube to the discharge orifice. Since both the spray discharge orifice and the passage-forming indentations are provided solely in the spray head, the various parts of the delivery passage and the discharge orifice will always be properly correlated and therefore will operate regardless of the rotational position of the spray head on the tube, it being obviously unnecessary to position any portions of the delivery passage in registry with passages on the tube.

The delivery passage may include a swirl chamber consisting of a circular or conical indentation concentric to the inner end of the discharge orifice, and the tangential inlet or inlets for the said chamber may consist of a groove or grooves in the cylindrical inner wall of the spray head bore communicating generally tangentially with the swirl chamber. Where there are a plurality of such tangential grooves these may communicate with and receive fiuid from an annular fluid distributing groove or chamber which, in turn, communicates with the open end of the discharge tube through a generally axial groove or channel.

In order that the delivery passage jointly defined by the internally grooved socket of the spray head and the exterior surface of the discharge tube may be fluid tight, as well as to permit directing the discharge orifice at an angle to the axis of the discharge tube, it is desirable, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, to provide both the socket and the discharge tube with correspondingly tapered cylindrical portions or conical portions, and to form the said passage-defining indentations and the said orifice in the tapered portion of the spray head. This, however, is not essential and therefore in another ice embodiment of the invention the tube and the internal socket of the spray head may both be of uniform diameter throughout and the discharge orifice of the spray head may be directed substantially at right angles to the axis of the spray head socket and the tube received therein.

Where the spray head is to be employed on a discharge tube which constitutes the hollow valve stem of the usual aerosol type dispenser, it has been found desir able to maintain at a minimum the volume of fluid which is entrapped within the tube between uses of the dispenser, inasmuch as the propellent gas dissolved in this fiuid can readily boil oil and escape so that the entrapped fluid will not be subjected to its beneficial spray subdividing efiects on the next use of the dispenser.

To this end, the spray head may be provided with an integral stem adapted to project axially for a substantial distance in the upper end of the discharge tube leaving only an annular fluid passage between said stern and the inner walls of the tube and to this extent reducing the volume of the fluid passage defined by the tube.

The foregoing objects and advantages are attained by the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompaniying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents an axial cross section through a preferred embodiment of the spray head of the invention shown as applied to a fluid discharge tube, the latter being shown in part only;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the internal passage forming structure and orifice of the spray head, the fluid discharge tube being omitted from the view;

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a slightly modified embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through the spray head taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3, the fluid discharge tube being omitted from this view.

Referring now in detail to the accompanying drawings and first considering the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the reference character 10 designates a fiuid discharge tube such as may be exemplified either by the hollow valve stem of an aerosol type fluid dispensing unit, by the hollow pump rod of a pump type dispensing unit, or simply any conduit for discharging a fluid under pressure in a generally upward direction as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. Obviously the dimen sions of the spray head and its associated tube 10 will be very considerably reduced over those shown in the drawing where the spray head is applied to an aerosol type dispenser.

The spray head itself will comprise a one piece unitary structure which may be molded in a single operation from usual plastic or other material. The exterior shape of the spray head is relatively unimportant, the only essential requirement being that such spray head be formed to define internally a blind bore or socket 14 generally of cylindrical shape for reception of the cylindrical discharge end portion of the discharge tube 10. In the instant embodiment the discharge end of the tube It is conically tapered as at 1011 for relatively tight wedging reception in a correspondingly tapered inner end portion lea of the socket 14. Thus the two parts, that is the tube and spring head, when assembled will form a fluid tight press fit.

Formed through the spray head at a location displaced from the blind end of the bore 14, as well as from the end of the tube iii, is a spray discharge orifice 16 which opens generally radially into the socket 14. Where the inner end of the socket is conically tapered, as in the preferred embodiment at Ma, the orifice 16 will preferably be disposed normally to the direction of the'taper tube across and around the end of the tube.

and thus at somewhat of an angle to the axis of the bore 14. It will be seen that the inner end of the discharge orifice it: opens toward the exterior surface lila of the tube, and the interior wall or surface of the socltet is indented to coact with the tube in defining a fluid delivery passage 18, 22, 2t 24, 24a extending from the inner end of the orifice toward the blind end of the bore and into communication with the axial end of the passage defined by the tube ill when the tube and the spray head are relatively assembled.

The passage portion 18 in the preferred embodiment constitutes a circular and preferably conical depression around the inner end of the orifice which defines a swirl fluid in said chamber. Such swirling action and the centrifugal forces resulting therefrom will result in the production of an exceedingly fine spray as the swirling fluid escapes through the discharge orifice lie. The distribution groove or channel it? may be connected by a generally axially extending passage is to the discharge end of the tube 10. Where the tube it) is inserted into the bore 1 5 to the point where its discharge end is in abutment with the blind end of the bore, as shown in the drawings, the

groove 24 preferably includes a portion 24o extending radially inwardly partially across the blind end of the bore for the purpose of conducting the fluid from the However, it will be apparent that the portion 24a of the passage 24 is not essential and may be omitted in the event the tube is not fully inserted into abutment with the blind end of the bore.

Where the spray head is applied to either an aerosol type dispenser or a finger actuated pump type dispenser it will be found convenient to form the upper axial end of the spray head with a suitably shaped finger piece 26,

a which may advantageously slope rearwardly so that the aerosol or pump type dispenser may be conveniently held in the same hand, the forefinger of which is used to depress the finger piece 26 and through it the tube 10.

It is found of special benefit, where the spray head is used on aerosol type dispensers, to restrict the internal bore or passageway through the tube it by means of a stem such as 28 formed integrally with the finger piece 26 of the spray head and projecting axially into the passageway of the tube It but in radially spaced relation thereto to leave a restricted annular passage 3t) through which the fluid may pass to the spray head. As will be well understood, where the device is used in connection with an aerosol dispenser the tube 18 will represent the actuating valve stem of the dispenser whereby finger pressure on the finger piece 26 and subsequent depression of the tube 10 will open the valve to permit discharge of the contents of the dispenser through the spray head. When the finger pressure is removed to permit closing of the valve a certain amount of the fluid and its propellent will remain entrapped in the tube 1d and in the annular passageway 3t and the propellent, or" course, will be free to escape through the orifice 16 so that the remaining entrapped fluid within the tube 10 will not receive the beneficial aerosol forming eflfect of the propellent upon the next actuation of the valve but will be reliant entirely upon the action of the swirl chamber 18 and its associated swirl passages 22.. The stem 28, by reducing the volume of this entrapped fluid, thus reduces to a minimum the amount of such fluid which loses its propellent.

In the operation of the device as thus described it will be readily apparent that where the device is applied to an aerosol type dispenser the spraying action may be commenced by depression of the finger piece 26, whereupon the fluid will pass upwardly through the tube 1d thence through the pass-age portions 24a, .24, iii, 22 and 18 to escape through the spray discharge orifice 16. During such passage the movement of the fluid through the tangential inlets 22 into the swirl chamber 23 will cause a rapid rotation of the fluid in the swirl chamber in accordance with usual practice and this rapidly rotating fluid upon being discharged generally radially through the orifice in will be finely subdivided and dispersed by the action of centrifugal force. in addition, the explosive action of the propellent within the individual particles of spray will further subdivide them in accordance with known theory.

Where the spray head 12 is utilized in connection with a finger actuated type dispensing pump, the conduit 19 will, of course, represent the hollow pump rod through which the fluid is ejected and it will be obvious that the pump will be actuated by repeated downward finger pressures on the finger piece 26, the action being otherwise similar to that hereinabove described except for the absence of the action due to the explosive function of the aerosol propellent.

Obviously the action will be similar with regard to the forming of a spray where the conduit it} conveys the fluid from any constantly acting fluid pressure source.

The modified form of the invention shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is similar in all respects to the preferred embodimerit above illustrated and corresponding parts are accordingly designated by similar but primed reference characters, except that in this latter embodiment the conical taper of the tube and the socket within the spray head are omitted and instead these parts are formed of constant diameter throughout. By virtue of this, the orifice 16 extends normally to the cylindrical axis of the tube 10' and socket l4 and also in this embodiment the periphery of the finger piece 26 extends in a radial plane relative to the aforesaid axes.

Obviously, in either embodiment of the invention the spray head is well adapted for forming as an integral unit by a simple molding operation; is adapted for rapid assembly to the discharge tube 10 or 10 in a single press fitting operation and requires no registration between passages n the spray head and its associated tube. Moreover, when thus assembled the indentations within the socket of the spray head cooperate in novel manner with the exterior surface of the tube to define the various passageways, swirl chamber, and the like establishing communication between the tube and the spray orifice.

In this invention 1 have shown and described only two specific embodiments of the invention. However, I recognize that the invention is capable of still other and different embodiments and that its details may be modified in various respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing drawings and description are to beregarded as merely illus rative in nature and not as exclusive.

I claim: r

In combination with a generally cylindrical fluid discharge tube having a fiuid passage opening through its discharge end in the direction of its length, and an inte grally constructed unitary spray head formed with a blind cylindrical bore therein having its open end'fixed on and snugly receiving the discharge end of said tube in fluid tight relation throughout the circumference of said spray head and tube, said spray head being formed with a discharge orifice opening generally radially therethrough between the ends of said tube and opposite the exterior generally cylindrical surface of said tube, said spray head being indented on its inner face adjacent said tube and co-acting with the exterior generally cylindrical surface of said tube in defining a fluid delivery passage extending from said orifice to said blind end, and in communication with said passage opening at the discharge end of said tube, said delivery passage including: a circular depression disposed concentrically around the inner end of said orifice to define a swirl chamber, an annular distribution groove concentric to said swirl chamber, a plurality of grooves extending generally tangentially between said distribution groove and the swirl chamber, and a further groove extending from said distribution groove to the blind end of said bore.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,362,080 Martin Nov. 7, 1944 6 Hobbs Nov. 13, 1945 Venus Oct. 16, 1956 Waldherr Oct. 28, 1958 Bretz Sept. 29, 1959 Abplanalp et a1. June 20, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Dec. 12, 1956 

